the student, parent, teacher triangle has changed - the Musings of Mokobi.

Hi. You may call me Mokobi. These are my musings.

So, here we are again, the month of SEPTEMBER, the global back -to- school period for most primary and other levels of education.

It's traditionally a time when the highs from long vacation activities - couch laying & TV watching, being put to work on family chores or being sent to some vacation camp - has simmered down. In place are last minute shopping frenzies - to replace school supplies that will probably be lost before September concludes - with retailers on one side and parents/guardians on the other.

Needless to say, this year is more complicated against the chaotic back drop of a pandemic. Back -to- school conversation this year is dominated with an extension of discussions that began in March - in person vs virtual vs hybrid - what do we do? Educators and health workers are now pondering how students, parents and teachers can play their parts while keeping safe in this new world.

From the onset of various lock-downs and shelter-in-place requirements - students, parents and teachers have found themselves in this strange triangle. Parents have taken on more pedagogy as they see their roles evolve in the primary education of their children.

Parent's are now either a - go between - teacher's assistant for virtual lessons or have now fully transitioned into being the sole teacher of their children. Variations of these scenarios are playing out amidst parents still being engaged in various degrees of economic trade to secure their household income.

The pandemic makes it easy to forget that primary, secondary and tertiary education have all been ripe for disruption long prior to the current Covid-19 context.

When should formal education start? What form should it take? Is early childhood education driven by the need for daycare services or the importance of an early start to formal education for toddlers? Is homework meant for the kids or their parents?

At it's core, education seeks to impart knowledge to a seeker. For a while, the dominant approach has taken the shape of massing students in a room and talking at them, in the hopes that knowledge transfer will take place.

A raging pandemic has forced the necessity of reinvention and adoption. Happening today, is a coerced evolution in the education space with a spillover impact on many people's daily routines.

So think about it - before this Pandemic - normal was, parents engaging in a weekday cycle of wake preps, commutes, drop offs, work, commutes, pick ups and sleep preps. In the name of beating traffic, parents would wake as early as 4am - cook morning meals, prep school lunches, and get children ready for the daily grind.

Of course with no guarantee on the day's traffic pattern, early rising choices could be rendered moot with heavy traffic - why? - well, because most working class people are also doing similar - why -? well, work systems are setup as such, employers (parents, taking kids to school) require the presence of employees (parents, taking kids to school ) at a certain time, so the business of meeting the needs of their stakeholders (parents, taking their kids to school) can be met. This phenomenon is entrenched and normalized with fancy terms such as rush-hour and drive-time amongst others for a description. So, why are work systems set up this way? Now that's a whole other muse!

So, is the current necessity for adopting new forms of interface with the existing education systems here to stay? Is the future of education now a hybrid mixture of virtual and in person interactions? Will home schooling become more mainstream?

I do not know, but I suspect all the above will exist in varying ways in the new future of education. As for me, I have come to appreciate the chance to slow down, and take stock on the purpose of education. More than ever, I believe education shouldn't be a race - for cars in traffic or in the placement, progression or shuffling of kids through school.

I have come to appreciate the value, power and potential of kids being self taught, as I have witnessed them pursue the basics of primary education in a somewhat self directed way.

It's sort of, kind of - teach a kid to read, comprehend and write and the other stuff will follow. 🤓